About Us

• Craig Bymoen
• Annemarie Budau

Craig Bymoen

Personal fitness has always been at the forefront of my life. Being an active child I participated in a number of sports including football, track and field, soccer and basketball.

Having had supportive parents and a great mentor in an older brother I was able to excel at a number of these activities. However, at a very early age I realized that my passion for these sports extended beyond simply learning about and perfecting the various skills associated with the activity. I wanted to know if there were other areas I could address to increase my abilities in these sports. Get an edge on my competition so to speak. 

I began to delve into other areas of personal fitness that not many other kids let alone adults would even consider at the time. While other kids were reading the Hobbit and the Hardy Boys I was reading books like Eat to Win (circa 1983) by Robert Haas. I was always getting my hands on various fitness training magazines such as Muscle and Fitness and Flex so that I could learn about the latest methods in fitness training and nutrition/supplementation. I would read any fitness article, book or magazine if it had something to do with personal fitness training. I wanted to learn how to enhance my performance in a given area such as speed, vertical jump or bench press. I also had an innate desire to learn how to improve my health and performance via proper nutrition and fitness training techniques.

I began resistance training at the age of eleven using a limited supply of dumbbells. I even found ingenious ways to create resistance exercises at home using my old school Adidas bag full of encyclopedias and milk jugs full of water. I tried all the protein powders and supplements that I could afford at the time. This included Gamma Oryzanol, Inosine and the classic Joe Weider Anabolic packs which were really tantamount to amino acids, vitamins, minerals and a few grey area components. Some of them worked and some of them did not. I learned this by trial and error as well as keeping abreast of the latest research in this area. Similarly, I remember gagging down all those raw eggs Rocky style. I have to laugh now when I think about how far fitness supplements and nutrition have come in almost 25 years. 

I worked out every day (in hindsight probably not the smartest thing) utilizing all the info I came across. My fitness training programs were very specific and I was quite scientific when it came to creating my fitness training programs. I was passionate about fitness training and it showed. 

By the time I entered High School I had already established a good foundation with a rigorous and regimented fitness training program. I was a scrawny kid (120 lbs in grade 8) who was quite lean; thus putting on weight was going to be my plight. I had an excellent PE instructor who also happened to be the football coach. To his credit, he was way ahead of the times in that he recognized the importance of resistance and sport specific fitness training. Thus, he made it his goal to build our school the best weight room in the province. This was a task that he completed; as a result, our school produced many impressive athletes who have competed at the national and professional level in a variety of sports and activities. 

In grade nine this same coach brought in a guest speaker by the name of Greg Shepard from the Bigger Faster Stronger Company based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Greg's organization provided us with a clinic on how to properly apply the latest fitness training methods to our given sport. The fitness methods were based on compound lifts, sport specific training and speed work. He also supplied great information on how to eat like an athlete. Furthermore, Bigger Faster Stronger also recognized athletes via their magazine-more specifically football players-for their prowess on the field, in the weight room and in the class room. I was motivated and set my sights on becoming a Bigger Faster Stronger All-American. I was going to have my work cut out for me; however, I also had determination, good genes (thanks Mom and Dad) and the never ending quest for up to date fitness knowledge on my side.

During the last three years of my High School career, I focused on my goal. Over that time I often found myself in the position of resident expert when it came to personal fitness training. A great many kids came to me with questions on how they could improve their fitness training and diet. I was routinely writing fitness programs for anyone and everyone and I didn't mind as this was something that I thoroughly enjoyed. Likewise, I was flattered that they considered me the expert when it came to fitness training.

Upon graduation I did reach my goal: I was named to the First Team Bigger Faster Stronger All American Football Team. I didn't really realize the significance of this accolade until I found out that I was the First Canadian to ever be chosen to an All-American football team. This was the same squad that Emmitt Smith (Dallas Cowboys) Junior Seau (New England Patriots) and Willie McGinest (Cleveland Browns) had been named to as well. What made this particular team different from others was the fact that they looked at your accomplishments in the weight room as well as on the football field. I had posted some great numbers in the weight room that were impressive even by today's standards. This included a 355 lb bench press, 272 lb power clean, 492 parallel squat, 575 lb dead lift and a 4.6 second dash time (4.5 on asphalt). This was all accomplished at a bodyweight of 210 pounds. 

My accomplishments earned me some exposure in the United States and I was able to earn offers for a football scholarship from a few schools. During that time I persevered with my fitness training and managed to break two records in the bench press and incline press that had existed for over a decade in a school in Washington. I had a standing 35 inch vertical jump and I could dunk a volleyball (hands were too small for a basketball) at a height of 6'0 and a bodyweight of 225 pounds. I was consistently the fastest player for my position clocking a personal best in the 40 yard dash of 4.48 seconds. A serious hamstring tear made it impossible for me to continue playing football in the U.S. I transferred to and earned a Human Kinetics degree at the University of British Columbia. I then furthered this by finishing a Bachelor of Education Degree in Physical Education. 

Upon graduation from UBC I found myself in a different position than what I had previously been accustomed. I weighed 235 pounds and really did not feel the need to carry all that weight as I was no longer playing football. I utilized the most up to date research with respect to fat loss and through determination and hard work I got myself to a lean (7% body fat) 192 pounds. This in turn allowed me to pursue some modeling and television commercial work. This is something that I still occasionally dabble in today.

Even though I have been personal fitness training and teaching High School Physical Education for over a decade I feel that I have been training people my whole life. I am passionate about what I do and I love to help people in their personal fitness endeavors; as a result, I feel a great deal of happiness for my clients when they reach their goals. I am appreciative to all I have learned via teaching kids. I feel that this has ultimately made me a better trainer.

I understand that people learn in different ways and at different rates. Likewise, I can apply various fitness teaching strategies to individual clients and have done so with great success. This has also helped me cater to individual client's needs in a group setting like that of my "Super Sprint" interval fitness training class.

Over the years I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with some of the finest fitness leaders in the industry. Likewise, I have had the opportunity to work with hundreds of clients who have come from very diverse back grounds. This has included film and television personalities, athletes both professional and amateur, fitness instructors, and fitness competitors at both the provincial and professional level. In 2004 I was asked to train the winning recipient of the 2004 Vancouver Extreme makeover contest. Over the years I have been offered many opportunities in the fitness industry outside of both teaching and personal fitness training; however, I have never left as I feel this is where my passion is greatest. Ultimately, I hope to be able to help the greatest number of people possible by sharing my fitness knowledge in as many ways as I can.

Annemarie Budau

My personal philosophy is and always has been to learn as much as I can about myself, the world around me and to give back to others and to accept every challenge as a means for personal growth both inside and out.

Fitness Biography
Annemarie has been a life long fitness enthusiast. It all started in Elementary school track and field where she continually placed first or second and so realizing that she had a an athletic niche, took part in a wide variety of activities such as softball, field hockey, basketball, volleyball, skiing and of course continued with track and field right through high school. Because she lived in a rural farming community, sporting activities not only allowed her to hone in on her athletic skills but, allowed her to be excused from farm chores a couple times per week and provided her at an early age, opportunity to increase her social skills outside of school. No, she was not trying to get out of farm chores!

Due to University entrance academic requirements, grade 11 & 12 physical education had to take a back seat and so, she was relegated to jogging after school. Her mother, realizing the importance of a range of physical activity, decided that she needed more than just jogging and so enrolled her in her first evening aerobic class.  Instantly, she was hooked on the gym atmosphere.

She continued her studies in the UBC Science program and graduated as a Radiographer from BCIT. Throughout the post secondary years, she continued to fitness train at the university gyms, run and partake in team activities.

As a hospital Radiographer she continued her studies to gain her advanced certification allowing her to be able to provide diagnostic images from every x-ray modality ranging from Angiography, Mammography, Computerized Tomography, Fluoroscopy, General Radiography and the operating room. She also worked as a BCIT clinical instructor which provided her the opportunity to expand her teaching skills. Working in the health care industry, especially Medical Imaging allows one to visualize both trauma and disease processes and the toll these conditions take on the body.

Realizing that many of the health problems could have been avoided via better personal choices, this solidified Annemarie's belief on the importance of taking care of ones self both physically (inside and out) and mentally. Thus, her personal fitness quest changed from "something I am good at" to "something that is important for one personal health". After work, 5 days per week, she dedicated 1 ½ hours to fitness before going home. Not only was there physical benefits from fitness but, it also provided a type of "mind cleansing" from a long day @ the hospital. The feel good that she attained with every work out was infectious and so she found herself being bombarded with fitness questions from family, friends and colleagues.

It was at this point she went back to school and attained her personal fitness training certification and began training clients after work and on weekends. Her passion, enthusiasm and commitment to her clients became well known and so; it didn't take long for her to fill all available personal fitness training hours. On one particular day it was a comment; "you have always been fit, so you don't know how challenging fitness can be", that provoked her to push her own physical fitness capabilities to the next level and compete.

The decision to compete allowed Annemarie to learn all about the life of a competitor while also expanding her knowledge on nutrition & supplementation. Two years & 4 shows later she can proudly say that she placed in all her events while winning her Figure Bodybuilding Pro card status. It was a rewarding experience both personally and professionally as it increased her already diverse fitness network in both professions of preventative and maintenance health.